Siege of Genua (271)

The Siege of Genua occurred in 271 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. The city of Genua (now Genoa, Liguria) fell to Aurelian's Legio I Dacica after a short battle, cementing Aurelian's control over northern Italy.

Background
The war between the Roman imperial claimants Aurelian and Quintillus led to Aurelian's Legio I Dacica invading Italy and capturing several cities, starting with Patavium (Padua) and Mediolanium (Milan). Aurelian was eventually able to lay siege to the port city of Genua, which would complete his control over northern Italia.

Siege
The 1,500-strong Legio I Dacica laid siege to Genua, facing Paculus Atilius Ocella's small I Garrison Fleet and Publius Granius Hadrianus' I Garrison Army. The Romans loyal to Aurelian launched an assault on the port's smaller defending force, suffering just 192 losses while inflicting total casualties on Quintillus' defending force; 780 of them were killed, while 100 were captured. Aurelian's forces completed their control of the region, reaping the rewards by being able to issue an edict to increase tax burdens on the locals.